ENDURING CABLES HAT

Looking back on my time in New York City, one of the most enjoyable chapters of my life was when I worked as an assistant editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux Book Publishers in the early 2000s. The company, and the people I met there, embodied the dreams and possibilities I had always associated with the city. There were wonderful books to work on, authors to learn from, and an old school, Mad Men-esque vibe to the place that I simply adored. 

My small, windowless office, with its dusty orange Eames chair and aged wooden desk became one of my most favorite places to be, and each morning I could not wait to get to work, that’s how happy I was to be there. 

It was a work environment where I felt encouraged. Although we all kept long hours, especially our group of assistants, the atmosphere I experienced at FSG was one filled with optimism and camaraderie. This meant that we supported each other’s outside interests as well (going to someone’s show who was in a band, listening to another’s poetry at a reading or going to see someone’s latest paintings at a nearby gallery). Since my outside interests always included some form of knitting or crochet, I soon ended up teaching many of my coworkers in all departments (art, publicity, editorial, subrights) how to knit. We would meet up after work at someone’s apartment and I would teach them the basics as we drank wine and plotted our futures. 

There was a regal woman at the company named Peggy Miller who assisted Mr. Straus and would keep an eye out on all of us, making sure that we had what we needed and were doing well. Someone told her that I was the resident knitter and so early one morning she stopped by my office carrying two very old crocheted coverlets she had inherited. She asked if there was any way I knew how to fix several damaged areas on each of them. Those types of repair challenges had always been thrilling to me and I told her of course. And because New York City is a place where one can find anything, I was eventually able to locate a cone of vintage cotton thread at a small shop in the garment district and to fix both covers to the point where one couldn’t even tell where the missing pieces had been. I remember how her eyes sparkled the morning she walked into my boss’s office after I gave them back to her and told him, “I have Kristina for the afternoon.” She then took me to Union Square Café, and we sat at Mr. Straus’s special corner table and spoke about the company, ate delicious food, drank sherry and laughed. To this day, as far as New York moments go, that afternoon remains among my most treasured. 

I worked for the imprint Hill & Wang (which focussed primarily on American history, world history and politics) and my boss, Hill & Wang’s publisher, was particularly supportive and forward-thinking. Although I was not in a position to acquire books, he always made me feel curious about the process and included, encouraging me to meet with potential new authors at nearby universities and sharing with me his thinking as he curated a list during his tenure that revitalized and strengthened the imprint.

Several years prior, I had had an opportunity to meet linguist and scholar Noam Chomsky when my father invited him to speak at an event held in my hometown. I remember walking into my parents’ home and finding him sitting in the living room, my heart starting to thump for I had always held him in such high regard. At the time, I was knee-deep in graduate studies and knew well (and was in awe of) his brilliant mind and ability to illustrate complex questions simply, with clear, lucid language free of jargon. I came to understand his work as a rare and honorable search for the truth, always in the service of justice. To my delight, I soon discovered that in addition to these remarkable qualities, he was also an exceptionally warm and kind person. When my mother told him that the blanket he was sitting next to was one I had recently crocheted, he asked me about my interest in the craft and told me that his wife was a knitter and had made sweaters for everyone in their family. 

After I landed at FSG, I would occasionally send him books I had worked on and ask his opinions on things, which he was always gracious to give. When I finally made the decision to leave FSG and take on the management of a knitting store in Soho, I embarked on a harrowing Fung Wah bus ride from Chinatown one weekend to visit him at his office at MIT. I brought his wife some yarn from the store, along with a cabled hat that I had knitted for him out of a beautiful merino wool—Botto Paola in loden green and cream—that I had long kept in my stash for a special occasion. Sensing that my departure from FSG was bittersweet, he expressed support for my decision to leave and offered his heartfelt wishes for my new career path. Several days later in an email he wrote: 

If I haven’t written yet, the gifts had a wonderful reception. The hat so wonderful that on the way home our two grandchildren were fighting about which one would steal it. All in fun. 

Noam 

The updated version of the pattern that I share here abandons the two tone colorway of the original (which a friend once described as “grinch-like”). I also increased the gauge (from size 8 to size 3 needles) to create a finer knit (which felt more refined) and I switched to a provisional tubular cast on to provide a stretchy, more polished edge. It’s of course entirely okay to use any cast on you’d like, but I find that the provisional tubular one (for which I include a step-by-step tutorial) adds something special to more simple designs such as this one. I also revisited my original shaping for the crown and put a bit more love and experience into things this time around, allowing the decreases to flow more gracefully.

The new colorway was born out of several engaging discussions I had with Keith Foster, the talented head of Kelson Goods, where we exchanged ideas and images (including the selection below) and he once again worked his magic and custom hand dyed a perfect, unique tonal shade of brown (one that for me evokes fallen leaves, warm gingerbread, broken-in Carthartt jackets and simply everything homey and good that I could have hoped for).  

The Enduring Cables Hat was one of the first patterns I ever wrote and it has been a favorite of mine to make for many years—in every way a lasting and reliable go-to. I hope that you enjoy making it as much as I have.

MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED

1 skein of Kelson DK from Kelson Goods (75% superwash merino wool and 25% nylon) in Whiskey. Each skein is approximately 245 yards (224 meters). Approximately 110 (150, 180, 210, 245) total yards (100 (140, 165, 190, 225) total meters required. 

US 3, 12-inch (for Baby size) or 16-inch circular needle

A set of US 3 double pointed needles

Note: When making the Baby size you may choose to simply use a set of US 3 double pointed needles throughout. 

1 cable stitch holder 

1 stitch marker

1 crochet hook and a small amount of waste yarn for provisional tubular cast on 

Enduring Cables Hat Pattern

GAUGE

32 stitches and 42 rows = 4 inches in cable pattern

SIZES

Baby (Toddler/Kid, Teen/Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large)

Finished Circumference (unstretched): 10½ (12, 13½, 15, 16½) inches, comfortably stretching to 13-15 (15-17, 17-19, 19-21, 22-24) inches

Finished Height: 7¼ (8¾, 9¼, 9¾, 10¼) inches